


A Happy Accident

by PenguinofProse



Series: S4 Time Jump AUs [21]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: All round fluff, Episode AU: s04e13 Praimfaya, Episode: s04e13 Praimfaya - Time Jump, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Post-Episode: s04e13 Praimfaya, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, sickness fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 14:00:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28529583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenguinofProse/pseuds/PenguinofProse
Summary: In which the rocket fails at the end of season four and Spacekru never become Spacekru and life gets fluffy.
Relationships: Bellamy Blake & Madi, Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin & Madi
Series: S4 Time Jump AUs [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764070
Comments: 54
Kudos: 199
Collections: The 100 Fix-Its and Rewrites





	A Happy Accident

**Author's Note:**

> Here's an obnoxiously fluffy time jump! Huge thanks to Stormkpr for betaing it and to Ingrid for the prompt. Happy reading!
> 
> Content note: radiation sickness, bone marrow consent issues. Anxious Madi.

There is panic in the rocket when it fails to launch. Raven is frantically tapping at keys. Monty's hands are shaking. Murphy is cursing under his breath.

Only Bellamy is not panicking. On the contrary – he feels _relief_. He is utterly and totally relieved that the rocket has failed, because leaving Clarke behind is not even an option, now. He felt obliged to close the rocket door, to use his head for her and go with their people to safety. But if the rocket has failed, he simply cannot do that. He cannot leave her behind, only for them all to live or die without her up there.

He takes a deep breath, looks at the friends and acquaintances falling apart around him.

"We should get out of here and make a new plan." He says mildly.

"A new plan? What _new plan_ can there be right now?" Murphy asks, sharp.

"I don't know. But I figure we have, what, ten minutes until the death wave hits?"

Raven makes a grunting noise. Bellamy figures that's agreement.

"How about Clarke's nightblood?" He asks, even as he heads to the rocket door and starts opening it.

"Experimental and untested." Raven says, dismissive.

"But better than giving up hope." Monty offers brightly.

"Clarke's not here. She's not back yet." Emori points out.

"She'll get here." Bellamy is absolutely confident on this front. And really, it makes him all the more grateful the rocket has failed. He hates to think of how Clarke would have felt, sprinting back to the lab only to find her friends had already left.

It's silly that he's relieved about this, of course. They might well all die here. The nightblood might fail and they might all wilt and fade away from radiation sickness, trapped in the lab, surviving on ration packs as they watch the light leave each other's eyes.

But after all the tough choices of Earth, this is one decision he is all too glad to have taken out of his hands.

"We stay here and wait for Clarke. And then we try to transplant nightblood bone marrow to everyone." He concludes, firm. "It's the only choice."

 _Only choice_. An oxymoron. A moment of understanding shared with Clarke.

Honestly, forbidding him from leaving her behind might just be the kindest thing the universe has done this year.

…...

They try to keep busy while they wait for Clarke.

They unload the rocket which was so recently loaded, taking the rations in their crates and setting them on the lab floor. Personally Bellamy thinks that's a total waste of time. In the face of more immediate problems he doesn't think it much matters where the snacks are. But he supposes that lifting ration packs is at least giving Echo and Murphy and Emori something to keep them occupied and calm.

Meanwhile, he consults with Raven.

"How long have we got when she gets back?"

"Before the death wave? No time at all." Raven says, short and worried.

"No. I mean – how long before the radiation gets to us?" He swallows. "How long are we safe down here?"

At that, incredibly, Raven relaxes somewhat. "A good few hours. Maybe even days. This place isn't a purpose built bunker but it's under the ground and radiation levels are a lot lower than outside." She explains. "We've got time to figure out the nightblood transplants if Clarke gets back."

" _When_ Clarke gets back." Bellamy bites out, firm. He simply won't allow himself to consider any other outcome.

With that resolved, he tries to work on a plan as best as he can. He thinks about sleeping arrangements, first. Maybe that's petty but this is a lab, not a hotel. It wasn't designed for residential use. So there's one bathroom and a handful of cramped couches and that will have to do as accommodation for the foreseeable future.

Never mind. It's hardly the worst thing they've suffered through, on the ground.

Monty and Harper will share one couch, Murphy and Emori another. Echo will have her own, because he doesn't think anyone in the group has welcomed her quite far enough to want to snuggle with her in sleep just yet.

That leaves two couches between him, Clarke, and Raven. Huh. Seeing as he's yet to find the courage – or the right moment – to tell Clarke he's head over heels for her, he supposes he'll be napping on the floor.

And now he's decided that, it's onto the next thing to do. He could swear the last ten minutes have been the longest ten minutes of his life. Now he's going to rearrange the cushions in the study, and then -

Now he's stopping, abruptly, looking up the stairs as there's the sound of commotion at the front door.

That must be Clarke.

He drops the cushion from his hands and runs.

Sure enough, that is Clarke. She's in a bad way, tumbled on the floor just inside the main doors, and one glance is enough to show him that her helmet is smashed to pieces.

"Clarke?" He cries her name, stumbles over to her. "Clarke? Can you hear me?"

Her only answer is a broken groan.

He eases her broken helmet off, tries again.

"Clarke? Are you with me, Clarke?"

"Bellamy?" She coughs out, croaky and confused. "Shouldn't you – aren't you – why are you here?"

Now is not the time to explain it, he decides. This is not the time for faulty rockets and panicky friends and for telling her that she's going to have to give bone marrow soon, even though she's already blatantly sick.

This is the time for scooping her up in his arms and running towards one of those more comfortable couches in the study.

It's pure instinct that tells him to do that, really. He figures she'll be in less pain if she's lying down on cushions. And although he doesn't much understand radiation, he figures that leaving her by the front doors is a mistake. Surely getting her further away onto the lower levels underground and closing some heavy metal doors on the way can only help?

People notice him running madly through the lab with a groaning Clarke cradled in his arms, of course. Monty starts jogging behind him, begging despite his burnt hands to be allowed to help. Harper goes in search of water and bandages, Raven says she'll meet them down in the study when she's checked the doors are sealed tight.

If love were enough to save a person's life, there's no doubt that Clarke would live, Bellamy thinks. He wishes she were awake, now, to see just how much all these people value her and are desperate for her survival. He thinks it might do her good to realise she is cared for, after all the trouble she had putting her own name on that list.

But if there's one thing life has taught him, it's that love isn't enough to save anyone.

So it is that he eases Clarke out of her radiation suit, lies her on the couch, and sits himself down at her makeshift bedside to watch and to wait.

…...

Clarke doesn't wake up all at once. That's one of the reasons Bellamy is so scared, really. He's been sitting here for hours, listening to her occasional groans and even words, wondering whether she's getting better or worse or staying much the same.

His legs are numb, for the record. By now he's tried every possible position for sitting on the cold hard floor and just accepted that his legs are having a bad day. But some sick part of him actually relishes the discomfort, finds it oddly helpful to focus on fidgeting rather than on fretting about Clarke with all his heart and all his soul.

Who's he kidding? He's still entirely obsessed with the state of her health, numb legs or no numb legs.

"Bell-my." That's Clarke muttering weakly, feverishly, in a voice that sounds absolutely parched.

"I'm right here. You're OK. Just rest." That's honestly all they can do right now – make Clarke comfortable and hope that she will sleep off the radiation sickness as her nightblood kicks in.

She gives a pained groan and the sound of it goes right through him. He wants to reach out to hold and to comfort her, but he doesn't dare do that when her skin is covered in burns that look so sore.

He's just debating his next move when Raven walks in.

"How's she doing?" Raven asks softly.

Bellamy shrugs. He's not sure he's up for using actual words.

Raven sits on the floor at his side. It looks like an awkward motion, with her bad leg. He wonders if maybe she's in a mood for embracing the cold floor, too. Perhaps they can both be sad and worried together.

"I know this is hard, but I think we should take the bone marrow now." Raven mutters.

"Now?" Bellamy asks, the shock of the suggestion cutting through his silent mood. "Right _now_? When she's lying here like – like _this_?"

"Yes." Raven says simply.

Bellamy takes a deep breath. "Why?"

"We don't know how long we'll be safe down here without nightblood, even with the doors shut. It's not a bunker. We only have a few days at most, I would judge from the radiation numbers. And Monty's hands were exposed to the black rain badly. He needs the nightblood to help him heal."

"But you think it will heal him to take bone marrow from someone who's as sick as _this_?" He asks, gesturing helplessly at Clarke's restless form.

"I don't know. I'm not a doctor but I was here when Abby and Jackson were working on it and – I think I have a plan." Raven says, voice uncharacteristically shaky. "We give Clarke's marrow to someone fit and healthy. Their system stands a better chance of dealing with the shock if the radiation Clarke has been exposed to has damaged the marrow. Or – I hope it does. Then we take marrow from that healthy donor for Monty."

"You're not a doctor." Bellamy repeats quietly.

"No. Not at all. Honestly, I'm talking out of my ass right now."

Bellamy doesn't laugh. He can't. Normally he's all for desperate dark humour as the world is ending – but only when Clarke is conscious to share it with him.

"It should be me." He says simply.

"Bellamy -"

"It should be me. You have your heart murmur, Harper has a heart condition in the family too. Echo and Emori have both been exposed already today. Monty has his hands and Murphy – well, he's half my weight. And he's been malnourished out in the world while I was safe in Arkadia. It should be me."

Raven snorts. "You don't mean any of that. You don't care about Murphy's _nutrition_. You just want to volunteer for it because that's the kind of person you are."

He grins a wry grin. "Something like that."

"Fine. You win. It's you, but I think we should act fast. You with me?"

"I'm with you." He says heavily.

So that's how it is that he ends up holding Clarke down and listening to her screams while Raven drills deep into her hip.

It's not his favourite way to spend an afternoon, to say the least.

…...

Bellamy feels pretty sick, as the nightblood starts to take effect. He supposes that shouldn't surprise him – taking a bone marrow donation from someone as unwell as Clarke was obviously a recipe for extreme nausea at the very least.

He throws up once or twice, but tries not to worry about it. The main thing that concerns him is just how exhausted he feels. He needs to keep his eyes open, damn it. He needs to watch over Clarke until she's better.

If she gets better.

No, she will. He will make sure of it. Only he's incredibly tired, not sure he can sit here and look at sleeping face much longer.

Maybe there's another solution, he muses. She's a short woman, and it's a long couch, and she's got her knees curled up before her right now. He could probably just about fit in that little space at her feet if he tried hard enough, if he doesn't mind her kicking him in sleep.

He really doesn't mind that idea, for the record.

He heaves himself into a crouching position. It's more difficult than it should be. He wonders whether this is what it feels like, to die slowly from radiation sickness. He knows he has no hope of making it into standing, so he sort of half-crawls to the foot of the couch and levers himself into the seat.

He was right. This is more comfortable. And there's something almost comforting about having Clarke's feet digging into his thigh. It reminds him that she's still alive – at least for now.

It can't hurt to close his eyes, he supposes. He still knows she's right here. He can feel her toes pressing into him, can hear the sound of her ragged breathing.

He reaches out to rest a gentle hand on her ankle as his eyelids drift shut.

…...

When Bellamy starts to be aware of his surroundings again, the first thing he realises is that his hand is on Clarke's hip.

Crap. She's burnt. He mustn't touch her. He might hurt her. And even if she wasn't burnt, he's pretty sure touching her hip crosses a line. A shoulder or something could be friendly, but a _hip_?

The next thing he realises is that his hand is on her hip because she's holding it there. He figures that out because she keeps him in place as he tries to pull away.

"Sorry." He mutters hoarsely. He's not sure what he's apologising for.

"S'OK." She says weakly.

"How are you doing?"

"Been better. You?"

"Same."

He snorts out a small laugh. The hand over his tightens slightly, squeezing his fingers.

He falls asleep once again.

…...

The next time he wakes up, he's doing a little better, he likes to think. His eyes stay open for entire minutes, and he more or less remembers how he came to be in this situation.

His fingers are still sandwiched between Clarke's hand and her hip.

"You're awake." She murmurs, relief in her eyes.

"Yeah." He grunts, because it seems like he is awake. "You feeling better?"

"Yeah. Quite a lot better. I asked Raven to take some more marrow from me to give -"

"No, Clarke. That's not the deal. I donate the marrow now." He cuts her off, fierce.

She looks rather unimpressed. "If you're through, I'll finish explaining." She says mildly. "We'll be able to help our friends quicker if we both donate. Yours is going to Monty and mine to Raven."

He nods. That does make sense. He just doesn't like the idea of Clarke growing any weaker. But he has to admit that she seems awake and alert and her hand on his feels pretty firm and confident.

"So that nightblood solution is working after all?" He asks, trying for a smile.

"It seems that way. I'm definitely getting better."

"That's good."

"Yeah. I'm not clear on why you had to go and get yourself injected while I was still sick." Clarke mutters, frowning. "That was obviously a bad plan, but -"

"It was Raven's idea." He mumbles, somewhat apologetic. "I'm sorry we took your marrow when you couldn't consent to it."

Clarke snorts. "We've all done worse before now. It's forgiven. That's not what I'm annoyed about – I'm annoyed you made yourself sick for no good reason."

"Well the camp doctor was indisposed so I didn't know better." He teases weakly.

She raises her brows at him as if annoyed, but her eyes are full of warmth all the same.

"Get some more sleep, Bellamy."

"I don't take orders from you."

"Lie down and rest properly until Raven comes to get our marrow samples."

Oh. Lying down next to Clarke on a narrow couch. He could probably manage to obey that order, if she's sure it's what she wants. It doesn't sound like such a terrible fate.

"You sure? I don't want to hurt you." He murmurs.

"My face is burnt worse than my torso. It'll be fine." She says robustly.

Well, then. That's that decided. Looks like it's time for him to take a nap.

…...

Within a day, everyone's blood has been turned black. And while Clarke and Bellamy have been napping here it seems like other progress has been made, too – rations sorted and scheduled, furniture moved to give some semblance of a private bedroom to each couple or individual.

Huh. It seems like Bellamy and Clarke are expected to share this room from now on, then.

Bellamy for one is still too tired to argue about that, and Clarke seems little better. They make it as far as sitting up on their couch for a while to have some food and water, but apart from that they achieve very little. It's a most educational experience, really.

It's the day Bellamy learns that achieving little with Clarke is basically his idea of time well spent.

…...

Bellamy insists on getting up when Clarke does. They've been in the lab about three days now, he thinks, although it's difficult to tell when he was sick for some of it. But she's now decided that she's fit and well enough to start pottering round the place looking helpful, so naturally he has to follow her.

Turns out, though, that following her is easier said than done. He's still exhausted and the world moves slightly beneath his feet whenever he tries to walk more than ten paces at a stretch.

"Go back to bed." Clarke tells him five minutes into the day.

"We don't have a bed."

She raises her eyebrows. "Go back to the couch."

"No."

For a moment, he thinks he's in for a storm of angry orders, or perhaps even of tears. There's something fierce and concerned in the creases of her forehead and the light in her eyes.

But then her expression clears a little and she gives a stiff laugh.

"You're impossible. So stubborn. I'm only planning to be up and about for a couple of hours and then we go back to the couch. Deal?"

"Deal." He agrees all too easily. He's beginning to wonder whether following this woman into danger will be the death of him.

It's a good day, once they've got that resolved. They spend a little time with their friends catching Clarke up on how the rocket failed and what frantic plans they made when it did. Raven thinks that she could probably fix the rocket up well enough to take them into space once the death wave has burned itself out, but since then she's been playing with the computers in the lab and has made another discovery, too. She's written a programme to model the radiation and concluded that there might be some fertile land left surviving to the north of here, when the flames are past.

"Just something to think about." Raven says neutrally. "We're stuck here for a month or so anyway. No need to decide right away."

"I vote for the ground." Emori says robustly.

"We don't have to decide now." Raven repeats.

"I say get me off this damn planet." Murphy snarks. "No, I guess I'm with Emori." He huffs. "OK, I don't know."

"We don't have to decide now." Clarke reiterates, as if that will help.

"Staying on Earth is the smart choice." Echo offers, calm and quiet but firm. "The rocket might fail again. We can have more faith that we will survive down here."

Bellamy snorts. He doesn't have a whole lot of faith in the survivability of Earth, so far. But frankly, as long as he never has to leave Clarke behind in his life again, he doesn't care where he ends up.

…...

They choose the ground, in the end – more or less.

It's a bit more complicated than that. They choose a plan where Bellamy and Murphy and Echo will go scout for the rover that was left on the beach and see if they can dig it out. If they can, then they will all drive north and see if this promised land of Raven's exists. If it doesn't, then they can still drive back here and risk the rocket.

Honestly, Bellamy thinks it's one of the safer plans they've come up with in their time on Earth to date. He thinks there's a decent chance of this ending without everyone he cares about dead.

He wakes up early on the morning assigned to search for the rover. He knows he ought to get on with climbing off the couch as best he can without disturbing Clarke, and then get dressed and set out on his errand. But he allows himself just a moment to lie here, first. It's odd how relationships shift so quickly when the world is ending, he muses. He and Clarke still haven't talked about what they are to each other, but they've been spending every waking and sleeping moment together since she stumbled back through that door. And they cradle each other close at night in a way that he's pretty sure cannot be entirely platonic. There's too much stroking of bare skin and holding of hands for them to be anything other than romantically together, he thinks.

So he can't quite explain why he's made no move to kiss her or tell her he's a bit besotted with her, or anything like that.

He sighs, hugs her even tighter. He needs to get up. He _will_ get up soon, just as soon as he's stopped cuddling Clarke and enjoying the moment.

"We're going to be late." She whispers suddenly.

He freezes. Is she bothered by his overenthusiastic cuddling? She has every right to be. Does she find it creepy? Just because she's happy to share a couch with him doesn't mean she wants to be molested. He's trying to be polite, damn it, but -

Hang on. What did she just say?

" _We_ are going to be late?" He repeats carefully.

"Yeah. Come on. Let's get going."

"No, Clarke. Hang on. _We_ are not going anywhere. You're not coming, remember?"

He hears her swallow loudly. "I thought I might as well come with you."

"There's a reason we planned this all together. I seem to remember usually you like to stick to the plan." He says, somewhat exasperated.

"Bellamy, please. I won't be any trouble. And I might remember something useful or I can take a turn digging."

He sighs. "What's this really about, Clarke?"

There's a long moment of silence, and in the quietness Clarke's breathing sounds too loud.

"I don't want to lose you." She gasps at last.

"You're not going to lose me." He reassures her on instinct. "What's going on with you? Is there something I can do to help?"

"I just worry about you a lot since – since everything. I always have done. You getting captured by Roan nearly broke me but then I think all this with the rocket failure was the final straw. What if it failed when you were half way to space?" She asks, frantic, and all at once he understands.

"Honestly, I've been feeling kind of like that too." He admits, tears crowding his eyes. "Especially since you went to the tower that day. I thought I was going to have to leave you behind."

"It's OK. I'm right here." She reminds him, reaching down to interlace their fingers where his hand rests at her waist.

"I guess I can understand why you want to come with us." He concedes. "We can't really follow each other everywhere forever. But maybe we stick together for now until we're feeling a bit calmer?" He suggests.

"So I can tag along today?"

"I'm never going to say no to spending the morning with you." He admits honestly.

She sighs a little, squeezes his fingers. "Thanks, Bellamy. Best roommate ever."

He snorts. "Is that what we're calling it now? Sharing this tiny couch and obsessing over each other's safety because we're _roommates_?"

"What else would you call it?" She prompts, unusually tentative, he thinks.

He hesitates a moment, gathers his thoughts. "I'm pretty sure you know how I feel, Clarke. But whenever I've tried to say anything, it's like you don't want to hear it, so -"

"I want to hear it now." She says firmly. "If – if you still want to say it, that is. I didn't want to talk about that and then – then lose you. But if we're going to be safe now, and we're going to stick together and practise feeling calmer then – maybe it's time to talk about this."

Wow. He didn't see that happening, this morning. He's gotten so used to nursing his feelings for Clarke in silence that it feels odd to have her invite him to talk about it.

Best to start simple, he decides.

"OK. I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you." He says lightly. God, that sounds odd, said out loud. Or not _odd_ so much as beautiful and frightening and unfamiliar, all at once.

"I'm _certain_ I'm in love with you." Clarke says with conviction, because of course she does. She's _Clarke_.

"Couldn't let me win this one?" He jokes, hugging her a little tighter.

She laughs. "Come on. I figure we have three minutes maximum to make out before we really do need to get going."

Yeah. He's not about to let those three minutes go to waste. He loosens his arms, lets Clarke turn towards him even as he rearranges himself so he's hovering over her, resting with his forearms either side of her head.

Maybe that's a bit much for a first kiss. Maybe he ought to have started with lips against lips, rather than hips against hips. But now he's here it feels perfect to have their bodies pressed close together, and her arms are around his waist to tug him closer still.

At last, he goes in for the kiss. He presses his lips to hers, finds them warm and soft despite the roughness of the last few scabs from her radiation burns. But even as they're soft, they're _insistent_ , and she's kissing him back with determination almost as much as desire.

He knew kissing Clarke would be like this. He knew she'd be fiery and decisive but gentle, too. He knew on some instinctive level that she would tangle her hands in his hair just so, that she would demand he kiss her ever deeper.

He knew all that, and yet it turns out that _knowing_ it and actually feeling it happen are rather different experiences.

Needless to say, their three minutes are over far too quickly.

…...

They find a comfortable sort of pattern, after that. Bellamy and Clarke are together just as Harper and Monty are together, or Emori and Murphy are together. Privately Bellamy thinks that Raven and Echo have the right personalities to make a good match, and they seem to be good friends already if nothing else.

Are they all to spend the next five years pairing up, he wonders?

No. He knows it won't be so simple. But so far, all is going to plan. He and Raven shared the driving on the way to this valley she thinks is survivable. They arrived, found green trees and flowing water and even a few species of game still surviving.

It all feels too simple. Too clean. Too idyllic, as he lazes around in his new home with Clarke and wonders about spending the morning out hunting.

When trouble comes, it's not the kind of trouble any of them was expecting.

…...

They first realise they have company when a rabbit carcass goes missing.

It causes quite a stir, really. Murphy swears he didn't take it, but Monty insists that's just the kind of selfish thing he would do. Emori suggests that maybe Bellamy counted his kills wrong, which has Bellamy furious – just because he chooses to be Clarke's right hand man these days, rather than a leader in his own right so much, does not mean he is suddenly incapable of keeping track of basic logistics like the quantity of meat he has brought home.

It's Echo who suggests that someone else entirely took the rabbit.

No one believes her, at first. But then three days later some carrots go missing, and then Emori's spare scarf.

That's what settles it, really. No way could Murphy be behind the thefts if they affect even Emori. But unfortunately by that point he's feeling really rather angry that anyone suspected him at all.

It's Clarke who tries to bring things to order.

"So if we think we have company, we need to find out more. We can figure this out. We have plenty of experts here on stealth and hidden persons." She points out ruefully.

That brings them all together a little. That has Murphy nodding a sullen nod, and Echo looking confident, and Emori shrugging carelessly. Most of all it has Bellamy feeling incredibly proud that he gets to share his life with this woman.

"We should set up shifts for a night watch." Echo suggests.

"We should think like a thief would think – what are they stealing and why?" Murphy offers.

"There are other clues, too." Bellamy points out. "They're good at hiding – why? And they must be a nightblood to be surviving out here."

Already he's building up a mental picture, here. He doesn't think this is a large organised group. One rabbit, a handful of carrots, an occasional scarf – these are not thefts adequate to support an army, and anyway, they've seen no other sign of hunting on this land.

So one person or a small family acting alone, most likely. And nightbloods are sacred round here and forced to take part in the conclave – the very fact that they are still here suggests that they have spent their life in hiding.

Honestly, Bellamy is already beginning to reach some pretty firm conclusions. Clarke may think with her head all she likes, but in his heart of hearts he knows he's right. His gut is telling him this is a scared, lonely child who has lived their life in hiding.

And that's why he volunteers to take the first shift on the new night watch.

…...

Bellamy has a bit of a strategy, when he sits on the edge of the village that night. He's running with the theory that this is a scared child, and has thought about his own experience of living with Octavia. So he's gathered a few bits and pieces to make this child feel comfortable while he figures out what's going on with them – and whether he can help take care of them.

He's got some fruit and some venison jerky, because he knows their mystery thief must be hungry. He's got a warm fur cape scavenged from one of the huts here, and a small and rather misshapen stuffed bear in case this scared child needs something soft and comforting to hold onto. He remembers that was important to Octavia, when she was young. And most important of all, he's got one of Clarke's sketches of Octavia so he can do his best to empathise with whatever this kid is going through.

It's a little past midnight when the thief appears. Sure enough, Bellamy was right – this is a child. He knew it. He's a bit of an expert on these aspects of human behaviour, you see, after the life he has lived. This is a young girl by the looks of things, but smaller than he expected. She can't be more than five or six years old.

She sees him sitting in the shadows and freezes.

"I have food." He calls out at once in Trigedeslang. "Please come and eat as much as you like."

She hasn't run away yet, so he decides that's a good sign. He presses on.

"I've got some other things you might need too – a warm cloak. And I can get more clothes if you need them. I brought a toy as well. I remember my sister liked to have a toy to hold onto when she had to hide." He says, carefully casual.

That does it. That has the girl edging forward out of the trees, frowning curiously.

"Your sister had to hide? She was a nightblood?" The child asks.

"She had to hide but she wasn't a nightblood. In our clan there were other reasons for a child to hide." He explains haltingly. "Here. This is a picture of her."

"She looks sad." The girl decides, eyes narrowed.

Bellamy frowns at the picture in the low light. He didn't really notice that when he asked Clarke if he could borrow this picture. He just thought it was an accurate and uncomplicated portrait.

Huh. He wonders if Octavia always looks sad and he's just grown used to it.

"She was often sad when she was younger." He explains, in the end. "Because she had to hide. But she doesn't have to hide any more. Sometimes she's happy." He says, and he hopes that isn't a total lie.

"I get sad about hiding too." The girl says.

"I can understand that. It's a miserable way to live." Bellamy swallows. "Really, take the food if you want."

"I don't really want food. I want to not have to hide any more."

"That's fine too. We can do that. You're safe to come out now. You can join our family, if you like."

"Your family? With your sister?"

"No." He swallows hard. "Not with her. I have to spend some time away from her at the moment. But with the rest of my family. We would take care of you."

The girl nods. "I know that. I know it from the way you talk about her." She says, pointing at the portrait of Octavia. "I'm Madi."

"I'm Bellamy." He says, relieved, sticking out his hand for her to shake.

She ignores his outstretched hand. He should have known she would – she's a scared, hungry, lonely child. She gets started on the fruit instead, and on squeezing the stuffed bear in a grubby hand.

He feels a bit of a fool, for the record, with his hand sticking uselessly out into midair like this. But if Madi is even a fraction happier than she was ten minutes ago, he figures a little foolishness is not worth worrying about.

…...

The happy ending does not fall into their laps, then. That's not how happiness works. It's not as if giving some food and a toy to a small child can solve all life's problems. It can't solve her anxiety all at once, nor can it solve the way Bellamy still worries about his sister, nor the grief and guilt Clarke still struggles with sometimes.

But it's a start.

There are a good three months in which Madi refuses to be separated from Bellamy. It's sweet, in many ways, that she has latched onto him. By association she quickly becomes close with Clarke, too, and he likes it. He's been thinking it would be wonderful to start a family with Clarke one day, and so this opportunity is a godsend – to some extent.

But it's also inconvenient. That may sound petty, but it's the truth. By nature of her childhood and her birth parents' deaths, Madi is far more clingy than an emotionally healthy child her age would be – certainly much clingier than Octavia ever was, even. She cannot sleep without Bellamy in the same room, refuses to eat food served by anyone but him.

Yeah, it's the sleeping arrangements that are getting to him the most. He's been with Clarke barely a couple of months and suddenly their relationship has had to become very _chaste_.

They figure it out, a little bit at a time. It turns out Madi is scared of most weapons, but especially of swords, and so Echo leaves her blade in a cave nearby. That way she can still hunt with it, but without upsetting Madi. And the child gradually warms up to the other adults in the group, until it becomes more the case that she needs to be with one of them at any particular time, rather than necessarily with Bellamy every minute of every day.

He's so goddamn proud of her that he makes her another little bear. His mother taught him many useful life skills, you see.

…...

The question catches Bellamy by surprise.

"What was that, Madi?"

"Can I have a sleepover with Auntie Harper? She said it would be fun and we could play dress up with my bears."

"Of course you can, if you're sure."

Madi nods keenly. "She said it would be a fun adventure."

"Yes. It sounds lovely. Did you understand what a _sleepover_ is? She's inviting you to spend the night at her and Uncle Monty's house."

Madi nods again.

"You want to spend the night with them rather than with me and Clarke?"

Madi hesitates a little this time, before nodding once more. "Yes. Just – just one night. I can come back first thing before breakfast, right?"

"Of course, Madi."

She hugs his leg tight, then runs off, shouting Harper's name, apparently keen to plan this great adventure.

…...

That's what gives him the idea for planning Madi's room. He muses on that conversation, on all her talk of _fun_ and _adventures_ , as well as her obvious confidence that Monty and Harper's house counts as safe territory. He comes up with a bit of an idea and presents it to Clarke.

"I think if we introduce it to her as a _new, fun, exciting_ thing rather than throwing her out of our room, she'll go for it." He muses.

"You think so? We'll need to make sure she feels safe, as well. Too much excitement can easily become anxiety."

"Yeah. I'm thinking we decorate it with lots of your sketches of us. And maybe I make her another little bear as a moving in gift? Oh, and do you think Raven could rig up some kind of alarm or bell or intercom so Madi knows she can call us whenever she wants?"

Clarke smiles softly. "You're a great dad, you know."

He feels himself flush at her praise. It's not the first time she's said it, but it gets to him every time. "Thanks. I'm trying."

"You make me think we should have more kids one day." She suggests pointedly, brow raised.

He grins. "Yeah. We should. But definitely not this year. One is more than enough for now."

…...

Madi loves her new bedroom. She loves the excitement of having a special place all for herself – not the hole where she used to be forced to hide in fear, but a room above ground she can be proud of and invite her Aunts and Uncles to come and see.

They all make appropriate impressed noises, tell Madi how special she is to have such a nice room. Even Murphy says that she's a lucky hobbit, and Bellamy has to smother his sniggers behind his hand.

Most of all she loves the intercom that her Aunty Raven has made her. She doesn't actually call on it very often, Bellamy notes – she just seems comforted by knowing that it's there.

And so it is that life in Shallow Valley becomes even more peaceful, as the months stretch out into years.

…...

Bellamy is hugging Clarke on the couch when he starts a most important conversation. Of course he is – all their best moments happen on couches, he thinks, remembering those odd weeks in the lab.

"Do you want to think about having more kids soon?" He asks outright. They have no secrets from each other, after all.

"Yes." She answers at once. "How do you think we should approach it with Madi? I don't want it to be like we're _asking her permission_. I think that could be unhealthy in the long run. But we both know we can't just spring it on her."

"We talk to her." He says simply. She's mature about the big issues, for a nine year old. They have her difficult childhood to thank for that.

"Yeah. I thought you'd say that. We just sit her down and say that we're thinking of having some more kids, we don't know if or when it will happen, she'd be a great big sister?"

"Exactly."

So that's that. And as with all good couch conversations, it ends with Clarke beneath him and his lips over hers.

…...

Monty and Harper steal their thunder, as it happens. It's the funniest thing, but it happens like this.

There's an odd sort of simmering excitement in the air as they all sit down to breakfast the next morning. Harper is failing to repress a smile. Monty is actually _whistling_ as he serves the porridge.

And then it all makes sense.

"We're having a baby!" Harper declares, barely able to repress her excitement.

Everyone shouts their congratulations, of course. But even as Bellamy is giving his good wishes, he's got his eyes fixed on his daughter. He can sense from the way that Clarke fidgets next to him that she, too, has turned to Madi.

It turns out they needn't have worried.

"A baby? Like a – a little _cousin_ for me?" Madi concludes, smiling cautiously.

"Yes, Madi. But we'll still invite you to stay over sometimes just the same."

"Of course you will." Madi says, as if it is obvious. "How else will I get to play with my cousin?"

Harper makes agreeing noises, happy tears in her eyes. Monty explains that they have picked a name out already – Jordan, boy or girl.

Then Madi pipes up, looking squarely at her foster parents.

"Will you guys have a baby soon, too? A brother or sister sounds even more fun than a cousin."

"Would you like that, Madi?" Clarke asks softly.

"Yeah. It would be great."

"We've been wondering about trying for a baby." Clarke offers.

Madi nods enthusiastically, hugs her tight around the middle as if a child might already be growing in her stomach, there.

"Yeah. We'll try." Bellamy joins in, hears his voice come out hoarse.

The moment is shattered by Murphy's strident laugh. "Go on, Bellamy. Tell us more about how you'll _try_ to get Clarke pregnant."

"Not in front of the kids." Monty chastises through his laughter, placing a hand on Harper's stomach as if to protect his unborn child from Murphy's rude jokes.

Madi doesn't get it, of course. She just looks up at her father with an innocent sort of curiosity in her eyes and asks whether fathering children is actually so very difficult.

…...

It's scarcely a year later that there's a pregnancy announcement at the breakfast table again. This time it's Bellamy and Clarke.

He feels blessed, really he does – and far luckier than he ever imagined he would be. He knows not everyone conceives so quickly, and he finds it frankly bizarre that he and Clarke should have this good fortune now after such ill fortune in their youth. The way he sees it, he's been on a lucky streak since the moment that rocket failed. It might seem odd to backdate his happiness to such a disaster, but honestly he thinks that is when things started to turn out for the better.

Maybe the universe agrees that he and Clarke are best together, or something. Maybe soulmates are real.

No. That's foolishness. What matters is here and now, and telling their friends their good news.

"I'm happy for you." Echo declares, with a small but true smile.

"I guess I should get to work on another crib." Raven says between hugs.

"Do I look like I want to work in a kindergarten?" Murphy asks.

"Yeah. You kind of do." Bellamy says, laughing, because honestly his most prickly friend is blatantly failing to repress a smile.

"You have to be excited because I am." Madi informs her Uncle Murphy briskly.

He pipes down, then. He mostly does, when the kid he still affectionately refers to as _the hobbit_ speaks.

…...

Clarke gives birth to healthy twins named Penny and Gus.

Madi thinks this is _brilliant_. She thinks it's exciting to have two siblings, all at once. She thinks it's fabulous that her parents have _beaten_ Monty and Harper at childbearing – at which point Bellamy feels the need to gently correct her that she's not quite understood how families work, there.

Clarke is less thrilled. She loves both the babies, of course, and she assures Bellamy that she's happy and that she couldn't ask for a more perfect family. But all the same he can see that she's tired, and she does even say late one night as they sit on the couch together that she'd rather have had the two babies come along a couple of years apart.

Honestly, Bellamy's over the moon. He tries not to flaunt that at Clarke who had to do the actual hard work of giving birth and is now breastfeeding two greedy babies. But he loves being a dad – he finds it a very happy and affirming way of reclaiming and repurposing some of the paternal role he was forced to take on for Octavia. He's nurturing kids by _choice_ , now, and it's beautiful. It's making him feel much happier in the difficult relationship he has with his sister, somehow healing the tension between them even though she's miles away beneath the ground. And although he fears it's maybe a little pathetic, he loves more than anything to sit and watch his twins sleep and pick out the perfect blend of himself and Clarke in their features, the perfect affirmation of their perfect family.

Madi is part of that perfection, of course, for all that she doesn't share their blood. She doesn't need to have Clarke's nose or his hair to feel truly their own. She's got his irreverent humour and Clarke's quick thinking, and even if she didn't have either of those qualities, she has what really matters.

She has their love. That's how this family works.

…...

Bellamy can pinpoint the exact moment he finds perfect happiness.

He's on the couch with Clarke. Isn't that how all the best moments begin? They're not lying spooned together, today, as they used to hold each other in the lab. It's late at night and she's feeding a fretful Gus, while Penny sleeps soundly in her crib. Bellamy is leaning up close against Clarke, not strictly hugging her but maintaining as much contact with her as he can whilst they both have their hands free.

He's doing something very important, you see. He's stitching yet another toy for his eldest daughter.

"Maybe I _am_ grateful they both came along at once." Clarke muses, smiling down at Gus. "I only have to be pregnant the one time, and I did hate not being able to move around so much."

"I know." Bellamy says, simple and soothing, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

"Admit it. You're delighted they arrived as twins." Clarke teases him affectionately.

"Yeah." He swallows down a chuckle. "I'm sorry, I know it's a lot for you. But I'm over the moon. I think it was the perfect happy accident."

"Happy accident. Do you think that's an oxymoron?" She asks him, brow quirked at her own reference.

He smiles softly while he has a think about that one. He can see what she means – an accident is typically an unfortunate thing. And certainly all the accidents he had as a younger guy were unhappy ones - accidents involving the sister he still misses so much, and then Clarke, too. But he thinks he's had nothing _but_ happy accidents for the last four and a half years.

That's what he decides to explain to Clarke.

"I don't think so. I think we've had a lot of happy accidents since that rocket failed. The twins and Madi most of all."

"And the rocket? You're counting that as a happy accident?" She asks, frowning.

"The happiest accident of my life."

She nods thoughtfully. Gus seems a little quieter now, and Bellamy watches, enraptured, as Clarke kisses his little forehead and then sets him down in his crib. He keeps watching as she tugs her shirt haphazardly back over her chest, sinks tiredly onto the couch again.

"I love you." She says, totally matter of fact. Somehow he likes it all the more when she says it like that – as if it's just so obvious as to be routine, by now.

"I love you too."

"We're sleeping here tonight." She informs him, already starting to stretch out over the couch. "One of them will be awake and hungry soon enough and I'm too exhausted to keep walking to the bedroom and back."

"Fine by me." He says, setting aside the half-sewn toy.

It's a long time since they've shared a couch like this. This one is perhaps shorter than the one in the lab, Bellamy muses, as his legs dangle clean off the end of it. Really, it's not a sensible or comfortable place to sleep. He's probably getting too old for such nonsense.

But as long as he has Clarke in his arms, he just doesn't care. As long as he has Clarke in his arms, and his babies in their cribs, and his eldest girl in her room next door, he is perfectly and absolutely happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
